Aircraft

A selection of pictures of aircraft seen at Croydon throughout it's history

Hawker Aircraft Ltd

Hawker had its roots in the aftermath of the First World War which resulted in the bankruptcy of the Sopwith Aviation Company. Sopwith test pilot Harry Hawker and three others, including Thomas Sopwith, bought the assets of Sopwith and formed H.G. Hawker Engineering in 1920. In 1933 the company was renamed Hawker Aircraft Limited and took advantage of the Great Depression and a strong financial position to purchase the Gloster Aircraft Company in 1934. The next year it merged with the engine and automotive company Armstrong Siddeley and its subsidiary, Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft, to form Hawker Siddeley Aircraft. This group also encompassed A. V. Roe and Company; Avro. Hawker Aircraft continued to produce designs under its own name as a part of the Hawker Siddeley Aircraft, from 1955 division of Hawker Siddeley Group. The "Hawker" brand name was dropped, along with those of the sister companies, in 1963. The Hawker P.1127 was the last aircraft branded as "Hawker". The Hawker legacy was maintained by the American company Raytheon who produced business jets (including some derived from the 125, whose original design dated back to de Havilland days) under the "Hawker" name. This was the result of purchasing British Aerospace's product line in 1993. The name is currently used by Hawker Beechcraft after Raytheon's business jet interests (Hawker and Beechcraft) were acquired by investors and merged.

Hawker Hector

(below) Hawker Hector of 615 Sqdn 'County Of Surrey' R.A.F. 1937

Hawker Hurricane

(above) Hurricane of No1 Squadron RCAF. One of the early squadrons to be posted to Croydon

July 1940

'11 Group', 'Scramble'

(above) A damaged Hurricane of 615 Squadron. August 1940

Hurricane Forced down at Croydon in 1940

(above) A Hurricane of No85 Squadron. June 1940

Hawker Tempest

Tempest of No501 Squadron